Helicopters down in Afghanistan and Iraq

[blackhawk]

very nice to read: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6508409.stm

The helicopter swept low down the valley, the dark sky illuminated by the tracer fire strafing either side of the cockpit.

[ElcoB]

very nice to read: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6508409.stm

Indeed, quite a feat....if only politicians were as professional as those aviation-crews......

[SN30952]

And one in Mogadishu.
Helicopters dropped several bombs on Thursday, one was making a surveillance and the other one was dropping several bombs.
Which one was shot down is not clear.

[blackhawk]

And one in Mogadishu.
Helicopters dropped several bombs on Thursday, one was making a surveillance and the other one was dropping several bombs.
Which one was shot down is not clear.

http://www.reuters.com/article/homepage ... ._CH_.2400

[TEJAVIA]

At your disposal. Whoops, there went 5 million USD

I hear it is closer to $20M to replace a Chinook. A friend of mine claims to have hired NARZ (Russian company) to rescue a Chinook from a mountainside at 9K feet with a Mi-16T seen in thumbnail picture here:

http://www.tejavia.com/contact.html

[ElcoB]

Apr 5, 6:33 AM EDT
Official: U.S. Copter Goes Down in Iraq

Gunmen opened fire on a Black Hawk helicopter at about 7:30 a.m. as it flew over Latifiyah, 20 miles south of Baghdad, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

The helicopter went down in a rural area and U.S. forces had cordoned off the site, the official said. He had no information on casualties but said the militants apparently were using anti-aircraft heavy machine gun.

[regi]

yup, another one down.

[regi]

now also on Reuters
www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSYAT53063920070405

9 people?

[ElcoB]

April 5, 2007 U.S. Helicopter down south of Baghdad Multi-National Division – Center PAO

There were 9 personnel on board including passengers and crew. Four personnel were injured and have been evacuated.
The incident is under investigation.

As usual, very few information, but seeing the number of personnel involved, it was likely a Black Hawk.

[Bilboone]

American troops in Iraq figured out how Iraqi terrorists had managed to ambush American helicopters with heavy machine-guns and get away with it. The Iraqis had used trucks with the machine-gun mounted in the back, and a tarp over metal supports (a common feature of military trucks) to conceal the weapon. The tarp was rigged so it could be quickly pulled aside, as well as the metal supports for the tarp. This enabled the heavy machine-gun to immediately open fire. There were four of these trucks, and they roamed around areas that American helicopters were operating above. One of these trucks was spotted, with its machine-gun revealed, by a UAV, after informants indicated that this was probably the weapon responsible. U.S. intelligence then analyzed video and other data they had, and put more UAVs over areas believed frequented by the trucks. On the ground, intelligence operatives began beating the bushes for information on these mobile flak traps. Soon the four trucks were identified and, one by one, destroyed with smart bombs.

Eight helicopters have crashed in Iraq since January, most from heavy (14.5mm) machine-gun fire. In some of those cases, the hostile fire appeared to be carefully planned. That is, multiple machine-guns, including at least one heavy machine-gun were placed along a route used by helicopters, and fired in a coordinated matter. This tactic is called "flak trap," and dates back to World War II (or earlier). This tactic works if you can use surprise, and the concealed, truck mounted, heavy machine-guns did that.

The enemy has also been using portable surface-to-air missiles since 2003, including more modern models, like the SA-16 (which is similar to the American Stinger.) American helicopters are equipped with missile detection and defense (flare dispensers) equipment. Thus the most dangerous anti-aircraft weapon is the machine-gun. However, despite the recent losses, aircraft losses to ground fire have been declining every year, since 2003, mainly because of good defensive tactics. Moreover, the most vulnerable aircraft, helicopters, have been spending more time in the air. In 2005, U.S. Army aircraft (mainly helicopters) flew 240,000 hours over Iraq. That increased to 334,000 hours last year, and is expected to go to 400,000 hours in 2007. The more time helicopters are in the air, the more opportunities someone has to shoot at them.

Since 2003, the United States has lost 60 helicopters in Iraq. Most of them belonged to the U.S. Army, the rest were marine or civilian (mainly security contractors.) In the last year, helicopters were fired on about a hundred times a month, and about 17 percent of the time, the helicopters were hit. In Vietnam (1966-71), 2,076 helicopters were lost to enemy fire (and 2,566 to non-combat losses). In Vietnam, helicopters flew 36 million sorties (over 20 million flight hours). In Vietnam, helicopters were about twice as likely to get brought down by enemy fire. As in Iraq, the main weapons doing this were machine-guns. Today's helicopters are more robust, partly because of Vietnam experience, and are more likely to stay in the air when hit, and land, rather than crash.

[blackhawk]

North of Baghdad, two U.S. military helicopters crashed near a large U.S. air base, killing two soldiers and injuring five in what appeared to be a mid-air collision, the U.S. military said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 3020070415

[blackhawk]

North of Baghdad, two U.S. military helicopters crashed near a large U.S. air base, killing two soldiers and injuring five in what appeared to be a mid-air collision, the U.S. military said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 3020070415

Correction: Two British helicopters crash north of Baghdad

LONDON (Reuters) - Two British personnel died and another was seriously injured when two helicopters crashed north of Baghdad on Sunday, Britain's ministry of defence said.

"Now that next of kin have been informed, I can confirm that the two helicopters reported this morning as having crashed north of Baghdad earlier today were, in fact, both UK helicopters," Defence Secretary Des Browne said in a statement.

"Sadly, two personnel have died and one is very seriously injured. All of these were UK personnel," he said.

The statement said initial reports indicated the crash was an accident and not the result of an attack by insurgents.
Reuters Pictures

It was earlier reported that the two helicopters were U.S. military helicopters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 3020070415

[SN30952]

It was earlier reported that the two helicopters were U.S. military helicopters.

No, they are British. And my source tells they did it to themself. The crash was an accident and not the result of an attack. They crashed 19 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad into each other, and came down early this morning in a rural area close to a large US military base, south-west of Taji, that is what 'accident' means.
Two personnel have died and one is very seriously injured.
The helicopters were both Pumas, which are normally flown by the RAF.
Two UK helicopters crashed after an apparent* mid-air collision north of Baghdad, killing two crew.
Fighters shot down eight helicopters during a month-long period earlier this year, killing 28 people, mainly American soldiers. Six of those aircraft were US military helicopters and the other two belonged to a private American security company.

*It's always difficult to admit for Albion.

[ElcoB]

Both of the Puma helicopters involved in the incident were from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire. Of the two individuals killed in the incident, one was from the Royal Air Force, a member of the crew - a loadmaster, and the other from the Army.

Two British Personnel killed in Iraq as UK Puma helicopters crash 15 Apr 07

[blackhawk]

that put themselves in harms way to protect our freedoms.

So many CH47 losses. Now there is talk of deployment of an active duty squadron of V-22 Osprey to Iraq.

and indeed, the Osprey is going to Iraq ...: Das US-Militär stellt im Irak ein revolutionäres Transportflugzeug in Dienst: die V-22 "Osprey", eine Kreuzung zwischen Hubschrauber und Propellerflugzeug. Die Entwicklung der Maschine hat 24 Jahre gedauert, fast 20 Milliarden Dollar gekostet - und 30 Menschenleben gefordert. (Der Spiegel: http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mens ... 10,00.html)

And www.cnn.com

The military's controversial V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft will head to Iraq for its first combat tour later this year, Marine officials announced Friday.

After 18 years and $20 billion in development, the plane will deploy to western Iraq in September to support Marine Corps combat operations for seven months, Marine officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/13/osprey/index.html

[ElcoB]

Baghdad, May 17, (VOI) – A U.S. helicopter was destroyed, while damage was reported to nine others in an artillery attack on Sunday on the Taji Camp, north of Baghdad, a source close to the Multi-National Force in Iraq (MNF) said.

"The ten helicopters were landed at the camp," the source, who requested his name not be mentioned, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) today.

According to the source, an official spokesman for the U.S. defense department confirmed the attack today

U.S.Chopper destroyed

[ElcoB]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070529-06
May 29, 2007

Task Force Lightning Soldiers attacked
Multi-National Division – North PAO

TIKRIT, Iraq – Two Task Force Lightning Soldiers were killed when a helicopter went down in Diyala Province, May 28.

The incident is under investigation.

[ElcoB]

May 28 2007 Diyala province Iraq:

* A OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter, flying an observation mission over a major supply route, shot down by machine-gun fire.

* Rescue teams rushing to the scene in Bradley's blown up by roadside bombs, killing 6 US soldiers.

* Air assault forces came in by helicopter, recovered the bodies of the two pilots and destroyed the downed chopper.

U.S. helicopter was shot down

[Roser]

What happened with the 10 choppers destroyed by mortarfire during May. They disappeared on the wikipedia list of lost aircraft in Iraq

[ElcoB]

What happened with the 10 choppers destroyed by mortarfire during May. They disappeared on the wikipedia list of lost aircraft in Iraq

Baghdad, 18 May 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

A U.S. helicopter was destroyed, while damage was reported to nine others in an artillery attack on Sunday on the Taji Camp, north of Baghdad, a source close to the Multi-National Force in Iraq (MNF) said.

There were several articles about this incident, mainly in the Iraqi press.
The US military never confirmed the number of destroyed or damaged choppers.
Note that Taji is a major base also for the new Iraqi airforce. A first batch of Mi-17 choppers was just delivered, maybe these were the target.
Chopper destroyed